Frequently Asked Questions about Homoeopathy

Homoeopathy is a specialized system of medicine for treating Peoples and animals
discovered by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann on the basis of simple Principle 'similia similibus and
curenture'.

The word Homoeopathy is
derived from the Greek word "Homoeos" meaning like or similar and
"pathos" meaning suffering.

Dr. Samuel Hahnemann
discovered it in 1796 in Germany.

According to Haffen
& Julian,

1. Homoeopathy is a
medicine based exclusively on the principal of similarity Or analogy.

2. Homoeopathy consist of
giving a sick person a minimum dose of the medication that produces the
respective symptoms in a healthy person.

3. Homoeopathy is a
medicine based on the similia principle. This formulates a Parallelism between
toxicological and pharmacological forces of a medication on A healthy sensitive
person and its therapeutic power on a sick person, who shows a similar set of
symptoms.

Homoeopathy is based on
different principles or doctrines.

i. Law of Similia

ii. Law of Simplex

iii. Law of Minimum dose

iv. Doctrine of vital
force

v. Doctrine of drug
proving

vi. Doctrine of drug
dynamisation

vii. Doctrine of chronic
diseases

2. What is
Homoeopathic Materia Medica?

Homoeopathic Materia
Medica is a study of drugs , medicinal materials for the Cure of the sick.

It is a book which
contains the collected facts from different experimentation's, clinical
experiences , including their pharmacodynamic effects and method of application
and doses

OR

It is a book containing
the systematic record of the drugs, which are proved on healthy human beings of
both sexes, and of different ages.

3. How do homoeopathic
remedies work?

When a medicine is given,
it produces either mechanical or chemical action on the person according to the
nature of the drug. When the primary action is over, the vital force gives a
reaction to the primary action & this is called as secondary action. For the
drug action directs contact of living cell by any means is necessary, the
receptor site of the cell is located in the plasma membrane. The receptor site
absorbs the molecules of the drug substance, it takes up rhythm from some
constituent of the drug by influencing the enzyme kinetics or genetic code.

Principle of Drug Action
- 1) When the repair processes of nature is going on, the drug stimulate a
function or depress hyper excitability of a cell. 2) Drugs may alternate or kill
the organism & effect the process of cure. 3) Pharmacological agents, who
are obtained from organs of animal, may replace the secretion absent or present
in insufficient quantity in man.

4. What is the routes
of drug administration?

In general there are
various methods of introducing drugs into the body. Hahnemann instructed that
the tongue, mouth and stomach are the most effective routes of administration of
remedies. Apart from the oral administration, olfaction or rubbing on the skin (epidermotactic)
may also be used as routes of administration. Remedies should be placed on the
bare, cleaned tongue. No toothpaste should be used before the administration of
the remedy. Sublingually, or placed on the mucus membrane of the lower lip are
also effective routes to administer.

4) Skin Absorption method
- It is done in the form of liniments, lotion, and ointments.

As Homoeopathy bears a specialty
in the field of medicine, its mode of administration also bears a specialty.

5. How to select the
potency of Homoeopathic medicines?

Choosing the potency
& repetition of dose depends upon many factors like susceptibility of
patient, nature of disease, age of patient, sex of patient, nature of medicine,
duration of disease etc.

The Homoeopathic
potencies are grossly divided into 2 types.

1) Lower Potencies :-

The lower potencies are
usually used -

a) If there are gross
pathological irreversible changes.

b) When disease is
incurable & only for palliating the symptoms, low potencies are used.

c) Usually given to
females.

d) When there are
structural changes.

e) If diseases are very
chronic where vital force is so exhausted that the reaction of vital force to
the stimulus is sluggish.

f) When there is paucity
of symptoms as in one-sided diseases.

g) If we want to
prescribe Sarcodes.

h) Usually for the old
persons.

2) Higher Potencies :-

They are usually used -

a) More useful for mental
disease.

b) If one has to
prescribe anti miasmatic medicines for miasmatic disease or when there are no
characteristic signs & symptoms. These ant miasmatic medicines are always
given in high potencies.

c) When there is exactly
matching of the symptoms of medicines & patient (exact similimum is
available)

d) Usually advocated for
males.

e) If disease is acute in
nature & vital force shows good reaction to the stimulus.

f) If we want to
prescribe the Nosodes, they should always be given in higher potencies.

g) It is usually given to
young adults or children.

6. When the
homoeopathic drug should be repeated?

1) Perceptible and
continued progress of improvement contra indicates repetition.

2) Repeat the dose only
when improvement ceases.

3) Repetition may be
continued till either recovery ensues or different groups of symptoms arise and
thus demand different remedy.

4) In chronic diseases,
medicine may be repeated at intervals of fourteen, twelve, ten, eight or seven
days. In chronic diseases resembling cases of acute disease - should be repeated
at still shorter intervals. In acute diseases at very much shorter period -
every twenty-four, twelve, eight, four hours. In a very most acute-every hour,
even at every five minutes.

7. What is mean by
vital force?

Vital force is a power of
healing found in every living being, it is also called vismediatrix in nature.
It is this super-sensual thing that maintains the body in living condition. This
makes the all the difference between living and dead. It was realized by Dr.
Hahnemann who used this word in the organon up to five editions but in 6th
edition, he used the word dynamis for vital force is meant for life force where
as dynamis pertains to life process meant for healing purpose.